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North Macedonia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for North Macedonia, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
12.26%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · -50.0% since 1991
Unemployment for North Macedonia was 12.26% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 38.80% in 1996. Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.02% per year.
North Macedonia ranks 24 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 13%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so North Macedonia sits above it. It peaked in 1996 and has fallen 68% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 54%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
12.26%
First (1991)
24.50%
Change
-50.0%
Highest
38.80%
in 1996
Lowest
12.26%
in 2025
Average
27.98%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-2.02%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 12.26% |
| 2024 | 12.27% |
| 2023 | 13.17% |
| 2022 | 14.48% |
| 2021 | 15.8% |
| 2020 | 16.58% |
| 2019 | 17.41% |
| 2018 | 21.21% |
| 2017 | 22.86% |
| 2016 | 24.31% |
| 2015 | 26.4% |
| 2014 | 28.22% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.